Kwara tasked on political will for women’s inclusion in security, others

A policy document on Kwara state Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security was on Tuesday unveiled with a call on the state government to sustain political will that will increase women’s inclusion and participation in governance, peace and security issues.

Speaking at the unveiling, the Chief Executive Officer of Olive Community Development Initiative (OCDI), Oluwatoni Adeleke, said the implementation of the state action plan on the document would be a mirage without factors such as sustained political will, appropriate programme design, adequate resources, effective coordination, joint implementation and participation of other state ministries, departments and agencies, civil society inclusion and systematic monitoring and evaluation.

Adeleke, who said that the document was in fulfilment of the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR), added that it recognized that women’s participation was key to resolving conflict and securing peace.

“The UNSCR addresses how women and girls are differently being impacted by conflict and war and recognise the critical role that women can and already do play in peacebuilding efforts. It supports women’s participation in peace negotiations and in post-conflict reconstruction and demands the protection of women and girls from wartime sexual violence.

“In Nigeria, the first edition of the National Action plan on women, peace and security was produced between 2012-2016 while the second edition came out between 2017-2020. Some states have both the first and second editions while some states have none,” she said.

Adeleke, therefore, congratulated Kwara for being one of the few states in the country that has an implementation plan on women, peace and security and expressed the hope that local government areas in the state would start developing their own local action plan too before the end of the year.

“With the implementation of this document, we hope to achieve the inclusion of more women on peace and security issues in Kwara State. We hope to achieve maximum security and protection for women and girls in Kwara State.

Nkechi Illochi Kanny, Programme Manager, Women Rights Unit, Action Aid Nigeria, said it was great having the document, calling for actions and efforts to be put in place to ensure that the lives of women are continually protected in the state.

“We thank OCDI for driving this agenda. We are proud to be associated with you for all that you do and continue to do. I know that having this document is just one level prospect because there is a journey towards its implementation.”

The Project Coordinator, North, Women Voice and Leadership Project, Action Aid Nigeria, Niri Goyit, said the state action plan committee was expected to mobilize resources for the coordination and working together with the Ministry of Women Affairs to advocate for the provision of a budget line for the implementation of the United Nations agenda for women on peace and security.

She said, “Kwara State happens to be one of the privileged states that have not had the issue of violence like some states in the middlebelt.”

The Chief Executive Officer of Trios Foundation, Mr Ade Bodunde, appealed to the traditional institutions to help carry forward the message on women’s representation in governance so that their voices could be heard.

The State Chairperson of the National Council of Women Society, Mrs Zainab Audu, said the state government has set a pace while the ball was in the court of the female folk to change the narrative and be problem-solving.

She urged women to come together and support themselves, just as she also encouraged them to vie for various elective positions in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs Afusat Nike Ibrahim, appreciated the state government for its concern and trust in women and for ceding to them a reasonable and noticeable place in governance.

She stated that the government has made the longtime dream of having a secured state and making women relevant in all fields of life to be fulfilled.

The state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Mopelola Abdulmaliq-Bashir, said the launched document would go a long way to curb the menace of social vices militating against women and children in society.

“Implementation of the document will encourage women’s participation in all peace and security processes and management. This is to allow women to play their rightful roles within National and International armed conflict management mechanism and also assist the government in working out policies on peace and security,” she added.

She noted that it behoves all and sundry to ensure full implementation of the document as a measure to eradicate violence in the state.

The commissioner described as an oversight on the part of the policymakers the non-inclusion of women in conflict resolution processes because they are always at the receiving end of conflict situations.

She said, “We are here to start a journey to make sure our society is peaceful, that women are no longer victims, have balance security resolution apparatus. Whenever there is war, women bear the brunt. But they are noninvolvement in all conflict resolution processes perchance an oversight on the part of policymakers. And without correcting it, there will always be a crisis because the victims are not really taken care of.”

The launching of the document had in attendance the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Risikatullahi Mopelola Abdulmaliq-Bashir, who stood in for Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, top government officials and Daudu Afon in Asa Local Government Area of the state, Mallam Hanafi Kola Balogun among others.

It also featured the presentation and inauguration of the implementation committee for the State Action Plan document.

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